Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force

A group of seven people pose casually in front of a wooden structure. The image overlays a backdrop of a purple, iridescent swirl, looking like water.
  • Contemporary Music
  • Vivid LIVE
  • Studio

The Berlin techno legend and his scorching Senegalese ensemble

For a pioneering Berlin figure who helped define the sound of techno in the late ’80s and ’90s, it made sense that Mark Ernestus would eventually travel to Africa and immerse himself in the polyrhythmic music from which dub, house and techno descended. The result was a stunning collaboration between the German DJ and the Senegalese percussion troupe Ndagga Rhythm Force, in which Ernestus’ masterful production fused with the Dakar musicians’ tribal rhythms and exuberant vocals.

As the founder of mythical Berlin record store Hard Wax, Ernestus was a pivotal figure in the city’s post-unification electro scene; as one half of the seminal duo Basic Channel and later, Rhythm & Sound (alongside Moritz von Oswald), his deep mixture of dub and techno had an influence on the genre that is impossible to overstate. Ernestus’ passion for minimalism and polyrhythms took him to Dakar in 2011, and his collaboration with Senegalese studio musicians led to their debut album Yermande (2016), an organic meeting of techno and mbalax drumming born of a collective creative energy. In 2025, Ernestus convened with vocalist Mbene Diatta Seck and Sabar percussionists Bada Seck and Serigne Mamoune Seck, for Khadim, a more spacious, psychedelic album that forms the centrepiece of their explosive live show.

This is the group’s debut live performance in Australia.

Presented by Sydney Opera House

Event details

German techno giant Mark Ernestus delves deep into African music, and the result is drum-drunk and gorgeous, both techno-fast and dub-slow.

Pitchfork

A reminder of the joy to be found in deep engagement with complex rhythms.

Resident Advisor

Listen to Khadim

Khadim is a stunning reconfiguration of the Ndagga Rhythm Force sound. The instrumentation is radically pared down. The guitar is gone; the concatenation of sabars; the drum-kit. Each of the four tracks hones in on just one or two drummers; otherwise the sole recorded element is the singing; everything else is programmed.

Listen on Bandcamp, or explore more Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force.

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Attending this event

Plan your visit

Address

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Getting to the venue

The Opera House is a 7-10 minute walk from Circular Quay, and is easily accessible by car, train, ferry, lightrail, bus, bike and on foot.

Location and access

Studio

The Studio is located in the north-western corner of Sydney Opera House, best accessed through the Western Foyers.

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